Single file: Al Franken

Sonic Youth "Pattern Recognition" (Geffen)

Time Out New York: This is Sonic Youth, which is probably the most influential band playing CMJ.

Al Franken: Well, I'm not familiar with them at all. [Kim Gordon's] voice reminds me of Liz Phair—but I'm thinking that maybe Liz Phair was influenced by them? I love Liz Phair, so Sonic Youth has won me over on this cut.

TONY: Do you listen to Liz Phair often?

Al Franken: My daughter listens to Liz Phair, so when we go on road trips, I listen to Liz Phair. [Starts humming Sonic Youth song] When you break it down, it sounds a little Eastern European. It's kind of like an old Jewish song.

Evolution Control Committee "Rebel Without a Pause (Whipped Cream Mix)" (Eerie Materials)

Al Franken: Is this Tijuana Brass meets rapping? This is my kind of rap! It's like Dating Game rap.

TONY: The vocal track is taken from a Public Enemy song—it's Chuck D, your Air America colleague.

Al Franken: Well, Chuck and I aren't on the same show—I just pass him during the day. But he's a cool, sweet guy, and I like what he has to say. [To his dog] Kirby! What are you doing? Look at your eyes go!

TONY: Is the music boring your dog?

Al Franken: No, this is always what happens. People come to the house and he goes nuts, and then he calms down.

Hidden Cameras "Doot Doot Plot" (Rough Trade)

Al Franken: This is a very odd combination. Sort of like Talking Heads, but also with a pre-hard-rock thing. That early-'60s pop, that was kind of...kind of bad. It has a sense of humor.

TONY: This band is from Canada—the place where everybody in New York is currently planning to move.

Al Franken: What we need are more Canadians to move down here. [Moving] is not a good idea. We need people to stay here and fight.

Juana Molina "Tres Cosas" (Domino)

TONY: Before beginning her music career, this singer was the biggest female comedian on Argentine television.

Al Franken: Really? She doesn't sound very funny to me. Maybe being the funniest woman in Argentina is a low bar. What does she look like?

TONY: She has long blond hair that sweeps over her face.

Al Franken: Yeah. You don't know what the role of a comedienne is in Argentina. It might be the babe who comes in and guys hit on. I can't understand a word she's saying. It reminds me of when we had Sinéad...what's her name?

TONY: O'Connor.

Al Franken: Yeah. Sinéad O'Connor was gonna come on Saturday Night Live and sing that Prince song. So Lorne [Michaels] sits a few of us down in his office on the ninth floor, and he very excitedly says, "This is who we're having on the show." And he plays "Nothing Compares 2 U." I said, "Boy, it's gonna be really fun to have her on." It turned out it was a lot of fun. I'm saying that sarcastically.

Sufjan Stevens "All the Trees in the Field Will Clap Their Hands" (Sounds Familyre)

TONY: This is a young Christian musician who approaches religion from a different standpoint than the more popular right-wing—

Al Franken: From the stupid standpoint. Kirby! Are you listening to a banjo? Look at this dog! When [a musician] is bad, I can usually tell right away. None of these seem to be bad, which is really saying a lot. It sounds like everybody's trying hard to do interesting work, which is refreshing. Kirby! What is it? I think he needs to go for a walk. [Yelling] I'm going to take him out!